Does the title describe a condition? Or is the artist appealing to us? What was Meghan Remy thinking when she chose the title of her eighth studio album »Bless This Mess«? After listening to the ten more than formidable pop gems on this album, it still can’t be said since everything on the record comes across as so orderly, so calm. Experimentation? Gladly. But within limits, please. The title track alone comes across as a heartbreaking ballad with the best reverb from the eighties. »Futures Bet«, on the other hand, floats in far more modern spheres, while Remy, born in 1985, sings, »When nothing is wrong, everything is fine. This is just life, this is just life.« Luckily, every calendar saying in the lyrics is very quickly dismantled by a howling electric guitar. On Remy’s project U.S. Girls, everything can serve as an influence or sound. Recorded and produced during her pregnancy, the breast pump for her offspring also features as a sample on »Pump«. But that remains Remy’s big trick: the album is wonderfully original, combining pop with funk, soul and R&B into a very warm, accessible sound. Everything for the melody. And that with multiple levels and false bottoms. It’s the perfect album for becoming a better person after ten songs. Refined. Stirred. Happy. Orderly.
Adrianne Lenker
Bright Future
4AD